Current Events > RIP car battery, gotta get it towed now

(+) Yeah! (+)

How?

Can't use jumper cables?

that fucking sucks!

A new battery probably cheaper than a tow and yeah just jump the damn thing.

NO2_Fiend posted...

A new battery probably cheaper than a tow and yeah just jump the damn thing.

This. If you have jumper cables, I would suggest using them first than getting a car towed.

Most insurance companies will just send someone to jump the car for you with one of those nifty boxes.

Unless you have a vehicle that requires a scan tool to marry the battery with various control modules, you can install it yourself with a 3/8 ratchet, extension, 10mm socket and 13mm socket.

Had that happen with my father's Prius, battery was dead so I pulled off a jump, but how goddamn complicated getting the energy flow going was should have twigged me, it basically only charged at one angle.

Drive it around just fine, parked, went out the next day, nothing.

Battery was 100% shot, had to tow it, the people were mildly-to-moderately astonished the battery has managed that initial jump.

There's a newish device out which is kind of like a temporary car starter kit. It holds a charge for a period of time and lets you get a temporary boost. That said, if the battery is gone, its gone. Thankfully car batteries are somewhat affordable. It's a couple hundred bucks if you hook it up yourself.

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One time my husbands battery was so gone we had to use 2 jumper boxes at once. It did get it started but yeah we had to replace the battery.

I have a roll around jump/charge box. If your alternator is good you can start a vehicle and get it to a store without shutting it off. A tow for that is almost laughable unless you can't take it out and get a ride.

If only it was a manual

Replacing a battery isnt very hard at all. I dont know anything about fixing cars, but its simple. Last time this happened to me, I got a ride to the battery store and got a new one.

That sucks I thought that was me this morning

luckily I spent 20 min looking for my spare key and it was just a dead battery in the key >_>

My vehicle isnt new new, its a 2013 but even then most vehicles had a function where your headlights would shut off automatically after 5 minutes. That feature has saved a lot of dead batteries for people I bet.

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Not to tell you how to suck eggs or nothing but how long did you leave it? Sometimes you gotta let it sit for 10 minutes or so before you try turning it over.

pinky0926 posted...

Not to tell you how to suck eggs or nothing but how long did you leave it? Sometimes you gotta let it sit for 10 minutes or so before you try turning it over.

This

I hardly ever drive my truck so I need to jump it pretty often, gotta let the cables sit for about 5 minutes before it'll actually turn over

Yeah, why pay for a tow truck and battery installation when anyone can change a battery. It doesn't require paying a mechanic. Look up youtube videos for your car and buy a couple cheap tools if you don't have any.

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Starter motor issue?

pinky0926 posted...

Starter motor issue?

Or the jumper cables are fucked, which is always the last thing you think to check.

Get a good set of jumper cables that tell what the voltage is at, theres been a few times where the cables werent making a good connection and after adjusting them car came on.

Trumpo posted...

Unless you have a vehicle that requires a scan tool to marry the battery with various control modules, you can install it yourself with a 3/8 ratchet, extension, 10mm socket and 13mm socket.

Even that's more than needed. A spanner, or even a pair of pliers, will do the job.

Could be as simple as corrosion on a cable or a bad fuse but could also be a split wire somewhere which can be a nightmare to find without the right tools. Not likely the alternator if the batteries good it'd start but then die pretty quickly. Not likely the starter unless again batteries charged and you hear it clicking but won't turn over which is usually caused by stripped teeth. You can sometimes get it going by hitting the starter with a hammer while it's being cranked when that is the case because you can get it to skip the bad teeth so the good teeth engage with the flywheel. Obviously this trick is just to get you to the shop for a fix you'll still have starter issues.

Unfortunately electrical systems can be really complicated and issues you think wouldn't be connected sometimes are due to poorly designed circuits. I would say it's the system mechanics have trouble with the most. You really need to know your shit. A power probe can be your best friend or you can fry half the circuits in your car if you put power somewhere it isn't supposed to be lol.